Last week’s purchase of 230 acres west of Pioneers Park by the private,
non-profit Lincoln Parks and Recreation Foundation to expand the Pioneers
Park Nature Center is good news for Lincoln residents, Mayor Coleen J. Seng
said today.

The acquisition by the foundation preserves a large piece of rare native
prairie land for future generations and enhances one of Lincoln’s most
beloved and historic parks, Mayor Seng said. Additionally, the creative
partnership forged to make the purchase will allow the City to buy the land
at very low cost to taxpayers.

“The community’s vision for the future of Lincoln and Lancaster County
includes preservation of unique natural landscapes including rare tracts of
native prairie,” Seng said. “I am so pleased that this land is being added
to Lincoln’s beloved Pioneers Park. We all know that by acting to protect
the environment and acquire park lands in a timely manner, we enhance the
quality of life we all value in Lincoln.”

John Harris donated the land for Pioneers Park to the City in 1928. At the
time, it was part of a larger prairie tract used by the Burlington Northern
Railroad as a watering and feeding stop for livestock. Part of the land
west of the park was used for crops in the early 1900s, but most of it
never has been tilled and remains virgin prairie.

The City previously acquired 157 acres west of Pioneers Park in 1997 from
David A. and Bonnie Martin and another 80 acres in 1999 from the Martin’s
estate. The land purchased by the foundation last Friday was acquired from
the Martin’s children; David C. Martin, Sony Lowery and Carol James.

“The Martin family has worked very closely with the City of Lincoln to
establish a marvelous legacy of land conservation and parks enhancement,”
Seng said. “I want to express our gratitude for their commitment and
vision.”

This 230 acres was a critical piece to add to the park, Seng said. The
land, which is visible from the Nature Center buildings, is the last
remaining native prairie adjacent to Pioneers Park.

The Lincoln Parks and Recreation Foundation paid $5,500 per acre for the
230 acres, or about $1.26 million. The Foundation will work with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to establish a grassland reserve program easement
on the newly acquired property. The USDA will pay the foundation the
majority of the value of the property for the easement. The Foundation
then will transfer ownership of the land to the City of Lincoln at a
heavily discounted rate of about $500 per acre, or about $115,000.

The City’s $115,000 will come from a combination of donations, grants and
local governmental support. In the end, the cost to City of Lincoln
taxpayers comes to less than $30,000.

“We thank our partners,” Seng said. “We could not have done this without
the generous support of The Friends of the Pioneers Park Nature Center, the
Nebraska Environmental Trust, donors to the Lincoln Cares Program,
Lancaster County and the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District.”

The Pioneers Park Nature Center celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2004.
The center’s mission is to provide learning opportunities about Nebraska
and the Great Plains. The center is open year-round at no charge.

More than 12,000 school children participate in tours and learning
activities at the Pioneers Park Nature Center each year. In the future, the
land acquired last Friday will allow visitors to capture a glimpse of what
early settlers experienced as they traveled through and settled in eastern
Nebraska. Visitors will be invited to hike through stands of head-high
prairie grasses and look out upon what will be expanded herds of grazing
buffalo and elk on this land at Pioneers Park.